The transmission of signals across an electrical isolation barrier is important for many applications, including the following:                Mains connected medical equipment (for patient safety)        Communications links across cables between mains connected equipment (to avoid ground loops). Examples are USB, Firewire, Ethernet etc.        Isolating telecommunications equipment from phone lines (for lightning strike protection)        Mains data networks (for mains power isolation)        Precision audio, sensing and data acquisition (to suppress noise pickup)        Industrial sensing and control (for isolation of various power domains)        Automotive circuits (for protection from high voltage electrical spikes)        
Traditionally, such communication has been achieved by using optocouplers to send and receive optical signals across the electrical isolation barrier. However, optocouplers can support only relatively low data rates (˜10 Mbps), and consume a lot of power (>10 mW). In view of such shortcomings, electronics manufacturers are increasingly introducing other forms of digital isolators based on a variety of technologies, including inductive (transformer), capacitive, and Giant MagnetoResistance (GMR) coupling.
However, these technologies are currently limited to data rates of ˜150 Mbps. As new high speed signalling standards have emerged (including USB 2 480 Mbps, USB 3, Firewire, and gigabit Ethernet), there has been to date no way of isolating them easily and efficiently.
It is desired to provide an integrated circuit and a method of producing an integrated circuit that alleviate one or more difficulties of the prior art, or that at least provide a useful alternative.